The invention relates generally to an installation for processing liquids and, more particularly to an installation which has at least one vaporizer used for the process liquid, a condenser arranged downstream from this vaporizer, and a vacuum pump. Additionally, a gas-ring compressor, positioned in the exhaust pipe between the vaporizer and the condenser, presses the vapors through the condenser. Also, the process liquid is used as the cooling liquid for the condenser where it is heated and then recycled to the vaporizer. In such an installation, the process liquid is vaporized under a vacuum, and the vapors, which are either in cloud form or exhaust steams, are carried by an exhaust pipe connected to the vaporizer through a condenser to a vacuum pump.
An installation for processing liquid having at least one vaporizer used for the process liquid, a condenser arranged downstream with respect to the liquid flow, and a vacuum pump is disclosed in "SIEMENS POWER ENGINEERING", Vol. 2, no. 9/10, Sep. 1980, pages 298 to 302. In that installation, the vapors are suctioned out of the evaporator boiler by a downstream vacuum pump and are cooled off in a condenser. Due to this configuration, the downstream vacuum pump can have a small structural size. However, the condenser requires a large amount of cooling water in order to cool the vapors from the evaporator boiler. Thus, most of the thermal energy previously supplied to the vaporizer is given off to the environment by transfer to the cooling water of the condenser.
Certain designs for improving the thermal efficiency of liquid processing installations, which include vapor compressors are known. However, these designs require completely re-installing the installations with specially dimensioned installation parts. Such special installation parts are known from the information pamphlet "Mechanical Vapor Compressors" by the VDI Energy Technology Company [VDI-Gesellschaft Energietechnik] of Jan. 1988.
The present invention is directed to the problem of remodeling liquid process installations and thereby considerably improving thermal efficiency, while continuing to use existing installation parts and minimizing installation complexity.